Thursday, March 15, 2012

Aung San Suu Kyi

Went to see the movie “The Lady” a while ago, because it was about Aung San Suu Kyi. Not necessarily because she was given the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. But because of the moral strength demonstrated by her long-term persistence in non-violent opposition to the Burmese military dictatorship. Her National League for Democracy won the election in 1980, which was subsequently annulled by the military dictatorship. She was actually detained under house arrest even before the election, and she had been under house arrest for most of the 21 years between 1989 and 2010. She had become a symbol of the suffering of the Burmese people.

She paid a heavy price for her beliefs. Her husband, who was living in the UK, was diagnosed with cancer in 1997. She wanted to see her husband but was afraid to leave Burma, fearing that the military dictatorship would not let her return. She was not able to see her husband before he died in 1999.

Burma is showing signs of opening up. Aung San Suu Kyi was released in late 2010, and she is now able to participate in public life. We are praying that Burma will continue to move forward.

She is my hero. So are people like Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Liu Xiaobo.